It’s a cauldron of pressure like few others in golf. After surviving through to the final stage of Q-School, 156 players battle it out over six gruelling rounds in a bid to earn some sort of status on the DP World Tour. For those that make it, the reward is immense; for those who miss out, it can be a bitter pill to swallow.
This year’s field at Infinitum’s Lakes and Hills courses in Spain comprised the usual mixture of up-and-comers and first-timers looking to take the next step on what could be a world-beating career, as well as former household names who have fallen out of form or suffered an injury that has stalled their career.
Not everyone survives the four-round cut, so here we take a look at some of the big names who fell short at the 72-hole mark at this year’s DP World Tour Qualifying School.
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
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The Spaniard won seven times on what was formerly the European Tour between 2005 and 2013 but has struggled for form since making an ill-fated switch to the PGA Tour in 2014. At Q-School this year, rounds of 72, 66, 76 and 68 saw him fall one shot short of making the five-under cut.
Stephen Gallacher
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Joining Fernandez-Castano on -4 was Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher. The former Ryder Cupper suffered a wrist injury in 2014 that struck him at quite possibly the worst time in his career and left doctors with no option but to cut off the aggravated bit of tendon. Still, a change of technique was required and he’s never quite been the same golfer that captured back-to-back Dubai Desert Classic titles in 2013 and ’14 since.
A win at the 2019 Hero Indian Open was a reminder of the talent he possesses but he wasn’t able to show that across his four days in Tarragona, Spain. He gave himself a sniff of progressing with a seven-under 64 on day three but failed to build on that momentum and came up shy courtesy of a closing level-par 72.
Simon Dyson
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A real blast from the past, Simon Dyson got off to a flying start with a five-under 66 on the Lakes Course. Two level-par 72s on the Hills Course weren’t disastrous but a closing 73 back on the Lakes that included two double-bogeys put paid to his hopes of a return to the tour he won on six times between 2006 and 2011.
Gregory Bourdy
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The final stage of Q-School this year also proved a step too far for Gregory Bourdy, who gave himself a mountain to climb at two-over through 36 holes. To his…
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